All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun
by AerisFan
Summary: Chapter Eleven is now up. Enjoy! This corrupt and swollen earth shall be cleansed by fire, and she who was once the savior of humanity may well be its ultimate destroyer. Sometimes the greatest darkness can be hidden in the strongest light.
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: Hello everybody, it's me again! I've been bouncing this fic around for months, and I've finally decided to post the first couple of chapters. Also realize that this fic is not the same one as my Evangelion fic of the same name. That one is officially toast. Pretty soon I will be posting my Cowboy Bebop fic as well. Hope you enjoy these chapters, short as they are!

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter One

1,000 years after the death of Sephiroth

There were whispers in the night.

Garret Audias craned his head to listen. He was sitting in the crook of a tree; his spear propped up in front of him, listening. Guard duty was bad enough normally, but when you started to hear voices in the dark, you really had to question the effect of the job on your sanity. He tried to still his breathing, straining his ears to catch the faintest echoes of the voices. No good. When you lived in a forest, you quickly realized there was no such thing as silent, especially at night. Every creature in the forest seemed to be chirping or growling or moving at once. He sighed.

Must have been hearing things…

He sure hoped so. The idea of hearing voices was bad enough, but if there had really been something down there, it was his job to find it. There were not as many monsters around as there had been in his grandfather's time, but the world was still a very dangerous place, and he was there to protect the village, after all. He scanned the forest floor, his sharp eyes working to pick out any signs of activity. Nothing.

At least, nothing he could see.

Suddenly, the bushes to his right began to rustle. He gasped, and held up his spear to throw. A woman stepped out of the bushes, and he relaxed.

"You scared the hell out of me, Drey!"

She smiled, her face ethereal in the moonlight.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Are you coming home soon?"  
He nodded.

"In a few hours, my shift will be up. Then I'll come home."

"Okay. I love you."  
"I love you, too."

She waved once, then turned, and walked back into the forest toward his town. He watched her progress until she was engulfed by the lights of the village, and then he turned back to his duty.

- - - - - - - - -

He slid down from the tree with a sigh of relief. His shift was finally up. Now he could go home to his wife and be done with the dull job.

The second his feet hit the forest earth the voices began again. Her whirled, eyes wide. The voices were coming from all around him, and seemingly from the earth itself.

"It comes!"

"The light! It comes!"  
Shocked, he cried out.

"Who are you?!"

The voices stopped just as the light burst forth from the heavens, a ball of incredible brilliance that tore through the clouds like water and dove towards the Earth. Garret spun around and fell down, arm over his eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the light. The voices began again, screaming in fear, and he joined them. The ball of light smashed into the village, sending a massive shockwave of light in all directions. It tore the village to ashes, killing everyone in it within milliseconds. The shockwave reached the forest moments later, and hit Garret with the force of a freight train. It threw him backwards, spinning head over heels, until he crashed into a tree. The force of the wave pinned him against the tree, and he faced the holocaust that was his village. He screamed again, but the sound was whipped away by the wind. His home was engulfed in light, a massive pillar of white flame that nearly blinded him with its magnificence. A solitary figure, small with distance but still perfectly discernible, stood in the center of the light.

Just before Garret blacked out, he thought he could hear it laughing.

- - - - - - - -

Garret woke slowly, his whole body aching. He lay on a carpet of flowers, soft and fragrant. He opened his eyes, and immediately decided he liked them better closed. Opening them was testing the fraying bounds of his sanity. His village was gone, completely and utterly. It was like it had never been there to begin with. Where the beloved building of his home had once stood, lay a blanket of flowers, flowers of all the colors of the rainbow. Their beauty, he thought, was a black prize for the loss of his village. He tried to get to his feet, and was unable. He reached one had out and felt it sink into something soft and yielding. It was the tattered and bloody remnants of a human skull. He tried to scream, but his throat was too hoarse, and all he could manage was a dull shriek of horror. He jerked his hand away and stumbled to his feet. Then he began to run, not bothering to look where he was going. In truth, it would not have helped, as his eyes were blurry with tears.

Finally, almost against his will, he looked up. He knew without looking around that he was in the center of his village. He had lived there his whole life, and after awhile you just began to get a feel for such things. Nestled in the flowers before him, lying curled up like a child, lay a young woman dressed in pink. She was slight of figure, almost elvish, and a brown spill of hair like a waterfall cascaded down her back. But such trivialities as appearance had no meaning to Garret. His eyes were filled with the vision of this girl, this demon _bitch_, laughing as she burnt his village to cinders. His spear was gone, lost in the explosion, but he was also equipped with a short sword, and he unsheathed it, his face filled with lunatic rage. He lunged towards her, leaving a trail of crushed and torn flowers in his wake.


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Yes, I realize these chapters are horribly short, but I'm trying to write this story in more of a chapter by chapter format as opposed to Rage Against the Dying of the Light, so while the chapters are short, the story will be plenty long, never fear.

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Two

Ebony waves washed over a cancerous and bleeding shore under the dismal and hideous glow of some horrific eldritch sun. Aeris Gainsborough walked along this hellish shore, her feet squishing into the bloody sand. Her body ached from weariness, but she could not stop. She had a mission, a holy goal that left no room for the silly fatigues and weaknesses of her frail human body. On she walked, her shadow forming into sickening death-shapes in the crimson sand.

Someone was walking alongside her. She could hear the steady squish of

(his? her?)

footsteps. She thought the sound might drive her mad. A voice spoke from beside her, a hideous, bubbling cacophony of terror and evil.

"Poor thing," it crooned, "You must be so tired..." Its voice was mocking and truly insane. She felt terror and revulsion rise within her like fire.

She tried to turn her head, but it was heavy and weak with weariness.

"Leave me alone." Her voice was cracked and weak from lack of water, and she doubted that the thing behind her even heard it. But it did.

"Oh, I guess I _could_ do that…" The thing's voice reeked of false indecision. "…But I think I'd rather stay here and talk with you. After all, I do love you."

Her eyes widened in shock. Now she recognized the voice. It was-

A slimy hand fell onto her shoulder. With a gentleness that poorly hid the strength underneath, it turned her around to face it.

It was Cloud. His body was bleeding and hideous, broken and twisted like a victim of some horrible accident. Bits of bone poked through his face, and his eyes were shrunken and greedy with animal lust. He moved to embrace her, and she began to shriek.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Garret reached the fallen girl, his breath heaving in and out of his chest in fury and hate. He yanked the girl to her feet by the front of her red vest. She moaned in her sleep. He began to shake her, screaming into her face for her to wake up. Slowly, sleepily, her eyes blinked open. She had a moment to take in the hideous and insane figure in front of her before he yanked her around and put the blade of his short sword to her throat.

"See this, bitch? Good. I want you to see what you did before I slit your throat."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand!"

His eyes bulged in fury and shock. He was so shocked that for a moment he was unable to speak.

"You just killed everybody in my goddam village! You murdering, demonic _bitch_!!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Her voice was shocked and confused. Even in his state of absolute fury and hatred he recognized the honesty in her voice. Whatever had happened, she had no memory of it whatsoever. At that moment, he came within inches of slitting her throat and watching her soak the flowers with her life's blood. His arm tensed to bring his sword sweeping down. Then his fury and insanity broke like waves upon a beachhead. He stumbled backwards with a moan of agony and she dropped forward onto the flowers, gasping in fright. His sword arm lowered. Tears began to spill from his eyes.

"You didn't…do it?"

She got up and began to move forward, but caution got the better of her.

"I'm sorry for what happened. But I didn't have anything to do with it."

His fury strained like a chained beast, yearning to break free and taste blood, but his confusion and sadness held it back. He choked on his next words, and they came out as less of an accusation than he intended.

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't know…I-I can't remember anything…"

He looked up sharply, eyes straining to detect any hint of a trick. There was none. Her face betrayed no secret, no farce.

"Never mind. I…I just need to think for a while…"

He looked back over the flower-filled valley. The wind blew through his hair and chilled the sweat on his brow. He turned, and the girl was standing at his side, looking over the valley with a kind of awe in her face. Her face was so childish and pure that he felt his heart soften the tiniest bit. Surely nobody this innocent could laugh as she demolished an entire village. Surely nobody this innocent could be so _evil_.


	3. Chapter Three

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Three

The fire crackled and spit embers into the shadowed night. Garret Audias sat with his back against a tree, watching the fire print shadow-shapes on the leaves above and thinking. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. And more often than not, the thoughts all seemed to revolve around Drey. How she had looked, how she had talked, how she had smiled. Something moved to his right, and he looked up, startled. It was the girl, lying on the grass beside the campfire, sleeping. She had stayed with him as he coped with his grief over the loss of his village and his wife. At first it had seemed morbid and blasphemous to him, having the murderer of his entire hometown staying with him, but he had needed comfort, and had been willing to take it from any source. It wasn't as if she had known what she was doing, after all. Looking into her deep green eyes, he found it impossible not to believe that. He didn't know exactly what had happened, or why, but he did know that she had never done any of it intentionally.

He stared at her for a moment longer, then tore his eyes away with an effort. Looking at her brought back memories that he wanted left buried. Instead he stared into the fire and thought. After some time, his eyes closed and he fell asleep. Several feet away, Aeris Gainsborough shifted in her nightmare-clouded sleep and moaned for help that would never come. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek and fell into the cooling ashes of the fire.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The bar was dank and mostly silent save for the dull whisper of conversation. The bartender, a disheveled and surly looking man of indeterminable age walked from table to table and served drinks. He gave the cloaked figure in the back of the room a quick and suspicious glance, but said nothing. The cloaked figure felt that that was just as well. He didn't really feel like killing the bartender just for bothering him. Instead, he sat back, nursed his beer, and listened. The whispered conversation from the next table over came to his ears like it was spoken right next to him.

"Did you hear about Inepril Village?"

"What?"

"It's gone!"

"What are you talking about? Did it burn down or something?"

"No, and that's the strange part! It just vanished off the face of the earth. There's nothing left where it used to be except an empty field."

"What about the people living there?"

"They're gone too, except for the villagers out on errands. It's almost like the village was never there."

The conversation went on in this vein for several minutes as the two men discussed the nature of Inepril Village's disappearance, but the cloaked figure had learned all he needed to know. He paid for his beer and walked out of the bar and into the street. He turned and began to walk down the sidewalk. He stopped for a moment at one of the gutters lining the street. His hand shot in, lightning-quick, and pulled out a rat, squeaking in terror. He snapped its neck and pocketed it, then began walking again.

After all, he had a long trip ahead, and he might get hungry along the way.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aeris opened her eyes and was greeted by the misty dawn. She got to her feet slowly and looked around the silent campsite. The man was sleeping, propped up against a tree. She could see the trails of tears on his cheeks.

She closed her eyes in a sudden wave of despair. She could remember nothing, not even her name. Whenever she tried to remember her past, her head felt like it was splitting in two. A tear rolled down her cheek, unheeded.

After some time, she looked up again. The man was still sleeping. She stood there for a moment in indecision, then she walked slowly out of the clearing. She suddenly realized what she had to do. Nothing had been as clear to her since she had awoken into this world. A hint of a smile played across her mouth. She began to speed up, the way clear to her now.

Her eyes glowed green.


	4. Chapter Four

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Four

Aeris Gainsborough walked within the light. She was one with it. It surrounded her, enveloped her, pushed her forward and lifted her up. It was like flying. She giggled like a child and let it take her to whatever place it would.

The light was all.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Garret Audias had not been a guard as long as he had without gaining some sort of sixth sense, warning him when something was wrong. And as he opened his eyes to the chill light of morning, he realized right away that something was very wrong.

The girl was gone.

For a moment he stared at the place where she had lain, his mind unable to cope. Then he bolted upright and ran towards the spot where the wet grass was trampled. It took him barely a second to realize that she had been gone for at least several hours. He cursed to himself. He had been too trusting, too willing to believe in her innocent face and pleading eyes. He found the path where she had gone with a minimum of effort. She had made no attempt to conceal her trail. He took no time to wonder why, it just made his job easier.

He was not angry. His body did not fill with rage at her betrayal. Rage was a liability, with it, he would make mistakes that could allow her to escape.

No, he was not angry. He would simply find her…then he would slit her throat and stain the dew-slicked grass with her blood.

He followed her trail.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The field of flowers rustled secretly in the breeze. A rainbow of colors, their beauty was not lost to the black thing that slinked among them. But his awe was not for their beauty, but for the portent they gave. It was in the wind, the earth, the very molecules of life. He breathed it in, then let it out in a lover's sigh. The thing for which he had been searching for a thousand years was finally at hand.

She was here.

He slipped into the shadows of the trees.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun was high in the sky when Garret finally found the girl. He stopped abruptly as the sound of movement wafted down from the trail ahead. He slipped forward silently, holding his breath.

It was her.

He watched her walk for a moment and detected nothing amiss. She didn't appear to know he was there. He slipped from the path and began to circle around, wanting to ambush her from ahead. He slipped from tree to tree like a cat, eyes always on the path, and the girl he pursued. Finally, he saw his chance. There was a break in the path ahead, a small opening in the trees. There was his spot. He stepped into the clearing, staying within the shadows so as not to alert her to his presence. A minute passed, and then she stepped into the clearing. He saw immediately that something was wrong, but he could not place it, and banished it from his mind. He hefted his sword and steeled himself. Then he stepped in front of her.

The sword dropped from his nerveless fingers. His eyes widened in horror and disbelief. He stumbled backwards, lost his balance, and fell.

Her eyes. He could not look away from her eyes. An ocean of green danced and swirled within the misty depths of her pupils, hypnotizing him. It was beautiful, entrancing, but at the same time hideous. The green depths seemed to hunger for his soul. He stumbled to his feet and turned to run. She reached one hand out, gently, and caught him by the shoulder.

"You have nothing to fear," she said, and her voice was ethereal, beautiful. He felt tears well up in his eyes. "I will not harm you. I have…need of you."

He found his lips moving without his control, forming words he never dreamed of speaking.

"What would you have me do?"

She smiled. Then Garret heard the sounds of movement in the shadows of the trees. He turned, but it was too late. Something hard smashed against the side of his head, and everything went black.


	5. Chapter Five

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Five

When Garret regained consciousness, it was night. A sliver of moon spilled through the opened window above his bed and onto his face. He groaned and rubbed his head.

"Well, friend, it seems I did not welcome you as a good host should. I apologize."

Garret looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice. The room was too deeply shadowed, and he could see nothing.

"Who are you?" He managed to keep the fear out of his voice, but it was a near thing.

"Has it been so long that you don't recognize my voice, Garret?"

A figure stepped from the shadows. Garret's eyes widened in shock as he realized that it was a moogle.

"Kurin? My God, it's been forever!"

The moogle laughed, then walked forward and embraced Garret warmly.

"I am truly sorry, friend. The soldiers attacked before they realized it was you. In times like these, with the Emperor on his mad crusade, you're lucky you got away with your head still attached."

Garret smiled. "No worries, Kurin. It could've been-" His eyes widened in sudden shock. "Wait! Where's the girl? The one who was with me?"

Kurin chuckled. "Who do you think we are, monsters? She's fine, just unconscious. You can see her whenever you like."

Garret sighed, then sank back into the warmth of the bed. He looked over at Kurin, his face worried.

"Has the Emperor discovered you?"

The moogle shook his head. "No, but he suspects. One day he will just decide to burn down the entire forest to get rid of us. Bastard."

"I've never seen you so serious."

"These are serious times. But, no matter. How goes your village? I haven't been down in a while."

A tear slipped down Garret's cheek. He didn't notice, but Kurin did.

"It's gone, friend. It's been wiped off the face of the earth."

Kurin's eyes widened in horror. "By who? Why would the Emperor attack a village of humans?"

Garret shook his head. "Not the Emperor. I…I can't tell you now."

Kurin nodded, eyes still wide with shock.

"We are…having a festival in the square. If you wish, you can come down." With that, he slipped silently from the room. Garret watched him go, then turned back to the window, and to the moon.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As Garret stepped out of his room and into the moonlit night, he could hear the steady beat of drums and the chant of voices. He looked to both sides and saw that he was flanked by two guards. He walked down the forest path leading from his cell until he broke into a firelit clearing. He looked around, amazed at the sheer numbers of moogles dancing and singing and playing. As he searched for Kurin, he saw many suspicious eyes glaring at him. It worried him that the moogles, normally the most friendly and carefree of people, reacted to him in such a way. He wondered how suspicious the Emperor had truly become. He found Kurin at the edge of the clearing, sitting and talking with the girl. Her eyes were normal, the glowing and somehow hideous light gone from them now, and he wondered if perhaps he had dreamed it. He sat down next to Kurin.

"Ah, Garret! So glad to see you awake! I've been talking with your friend here for quite a while, and was beginning to wonder where you were."

Aeris giggled. "You have an interesting friend, Garret. He has a lot of stories."

Kurin winked at Garret. "And I haven't told her the half of them." His grin disappeared as he looked across the square where his people sang and danced. "Some of the stories aren't for her ears anyway. The history of my people has hardly been a blessed one for the past thousand years. We dance now in desperation as much as joy. We are not warriors. We don't have the power to stand against the Emperor. Those moogles died with Mog and his kin. We pray and dance for just a token of his power, just the smallest light to break through the darkness. I don't think it will come. I think our darkness is meant to last forever."

Garret looked over at Aeris. "I need to speak with you. Could you give us a moment, Kurin?"

Kurin bowed slightly and left.

Aeris looked at Garret, and he realized with some surprise that she was terrified of him. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

"What's the last thing you remember after going to sleep yesterday night?"

She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head slowly.

"Nothing. Nothing until I woke up here."

"There's no need to be afraid." His voice was gentle, and she looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the light of the fire. It took him a moment to realize that she was crying.

"From the moment I've woken up I've been a murderer. I can't remember it, but it's true. I'm a monster, a demon, and I can't even remember my own _name_!"

He reached over and grabbed her hand gently in his.

" I…I don't blame you." He nearly choked on the words, but as he spoke them, he recognized their truth.

She got slowly to her feet and looked at him. When she spoke, her voice was choked and hoarse.

"Thank you."

Then she bowed deeply and left. The shadow that stood several feet away in the trees, listening, slipped away, and the night was empty once more.


	6. Chapter Six

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Six

Kurin slipped through the trees, away from the shadowed figure of Garret. He felt ashamed for listening in, but he had to know more, and he knew that Garret might never tell him everything. His hunch was growing stronger. The girl reminded him of someone, a person from the ancient history books he kept in his home. Her face, her mannerisms, they all brought forth a memory of a person he used to know.

He walked out of the trees and onto the path, then began walking towards his home. He met nobody on the way, and that was best. He stepped into his house without a sound and closed the door behind him. As the historian of the village, he had in his possession a wealth of different books related to the history of the moogles. But that was not what he was looking for. What he wanted was the human histories, which were far fewer, containing only the most important human events. He knew, though, that whoever the girl was, she was important. He had no doubt that he would find her.

He opened the most recent volume and set it down on the floor. Then he began to flip through it, scanning the ink drawings for her face. He found nothing, nobody even resembling her. He checked again, but her face was not in the book. He frowned, puzzled. How could she not be in the most recent histories? She looked fairly young, probably in her twenties, and if she was not in the more recent volumes, she wouldn't be in any of them. Nevertheless, he began to search through all the volumes, hoping against hope that he was not mistaken.

As he looked through the volumes tracing the various triumphs and failures of the human race, he felt a pang of sadness for the bygone days. When these histories were written, all the species of the world were locked in the combats between good and evil. When a great evil rose up, the combined forces of good would fight and die to stop it. Those days were gone now, he knew. There were great evils, as he imagined there always would be, but there were no heroes, no noble saviors to drive back the tides of darkness. The Emperor fought to "purify" the world, and steadily forced his people deeper into hiding. Nobody would rise to stop the Emperor, no one dared. And it was not as though his evil was the only one. Hideous demons now roamed the countryside, monsters now spewed forth from the dark caves where they had hidden before and feasted upon the flesh of mortals. The darkness would not be pushed back.

A tear slipped down his cheek and landed on the page. He brushed it off. His tear-filled eyes scanned the pages. Then they opened wide in shock. A face. _Her_ face. He checked the date of the book and gasped. It was a thousand years old. But it was her. He was sure of it.

He began to read.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The shadowed figure slipped through the early dawn mist. He moved from house to house like a wraith, moving right before the moogle guards without being detected.

Inside his cloak, the black thing smiled. Everything was coming together so…nicely. The girl was here, in this village, and within his grasp. He had to be cautious now. Her powers were growing. He could feel it, moving through the air in steady pulsing waves of energy. If he wasn't careful, all that power would be turned on him. Then nothing could save him.

Not that anything would want to.

A guard looked up, startled. The black things cursed himself. He had been too lost in contemplation to keep himself hidden. Now he had to play his hand early, perhaps even give himself away. He stepped back into the shadows and waited for the moogle to come within range.

The guard stepped around the corner and saw him. He started to yell, but his voice choked off in sudden horror. The black cloak rippled and fell away.

The night began to bleed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aeris Gainsborough stepped through the screen of trees and into the clearing. She looked around, hoping to find Garret, but he was nowhere to be seen. The clearing was empty, the remains of the festival long since cleaned away. She lowered her head in frustration and that was when the fire lanced up her arm. She screamed in pain as her arm exploded into green fire. Power, incomprehensible and magnificent, tore through her. With it came blinding realization of who she was, what she was, _why_ she was. She choked it down in sudden horror, her mind unable to cope. The images disappeared, and with them the power. The green fire flickered and died, leaving her arm unblemished. She raised it to her face in shock, unable to comprehend. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Her arm wasn't burnt; it didn't even hurt.

"What is happening to me?"

"Interesting question. I have another. What are you doing here, Aeris Gainsborough?"

She turned, startled at the voice. Kurin stepped from the trees, his face grave.

"I...know that name...I..."

"Because it is yours. Well, it was yours some thousand years ago. We have…much to talk of, Aeris Gainsborough."

And he began to speak.


	7. Chapter Seven

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Seven

Kurin had only been speaking for a moment when Aeris screamed, a wail of agony and sadness that echoed across the clearing. She crumpled to her knees, her scream dissolving into sobs.

"I remember! Oh god, I remember!"

Kurin reached his hand down to pat her shoulder, but she did not see him, or respond to his touch. She was in her own world now, seeing the cold blade slide out of her stomach like liquid fire, seeing Midgar explode into green death, seeing what she was before, and what she now was once more. She crumpled forward into Kurin's arms. He held her for a moment, then looked up as a group of moogles ran into the clearing. He lay her sobbing form down gently. They ran up to him, spears brandished.

"We heard a scream. Is there another dead?"

"No, she's fine. But, what do you mean, another dead?"

"One of the moogle guards has been killed. We just discovered his body a couple of hours ago."

Kurin started in shock.

"What? What killed him?"

The guards looked away and did not speak. Kurin felt cold race up the base of his spine and clench around his heart.

"What killed him?! Tell me!"

"We…don't know… He was torn apart by some sort of animal. He was partially…eaten."

Kurin had no time to react as just then Garret ran up, his chest heaving. The guards grabbed for their weapons in shock, and it took Kurin a moment to convince them that Garret meant them no harm.

"What happened last night, Kurin? A bunch of your guards just kicked me out of bed and told me that I was a suspect in murder!"

Kurin talked quickly, and Garret's eyes widened at the explanation. Kurin turned to the moogle guards who stood watching Garret suspiciously.

"The girl is fine. We've got everything taken care of."

They nodded and ran from the clearing.

Garret looked at Kurin questioningly.

"What happened to the girl?"

"Her name is Aeris Gainsborough. I listened in to your conversation last night and afterwards, I checked the old histories for any mention of a girl fitting her description. Garret, Aeris Gainsborough lived over a thousand years ago."

"What?" Garret was so startled, he didn't even have time to get angry at Kurin for eavesdropping. "You must have gotten something mixed up."

Kurin shook his head. "No. I know it was her. She was involved in the battle against Sephiroth one thousand years ago. She was supposed to have died. Sephiroth killed her."

Kurin lifted Aeris, but his small body could not carry her weight. Garret stepped forward and lifted her over his shoulder. Together, they carried her back to her quarters, and put her in her bed.

Kurin spoke. "Garret, get all of your things together. We're going on a trip, as soon as she gathers her strength enough to go with us."

Garret stared at him. "Where are we going?"

Kurin smiled. "Later, my friend. We need to get moving. I believe whoever killed that guard was after Aeris. We must get out of the village before another is killed."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Images swam through the darkness; people she had loved, monsters she had fought, the hope she had felt as she had died, hope for the future, hope for the good her sacrifice had done. Aeris sobbed in her mind, knowing that that time was gone forever. Everyone she had known was dead, everything she had fought for dead as well. She felt like she was in hell.

The images became clearer, and she realized that she was conscious once more. She blinked as the bright sunlight from the open window fell into her eyes. Then she pulled her covers aside and stood up, only to tumble back into the bed.

"Don't try to move too quickly. You're too weak."

She raised her head and saw Kurin standing in the doorway.

"Everything's gone…" She spoke barely louder than a whisper, but Kurin could still hear the agony. She lay her head back.

"Nonsense. You sacrificed yourself so nothing would ever be gone."

She looked up at him again.

"That's not what I mean. Everyone I knew, my friends…everyone. They're all dead."

"They died as heroes. As did you. Children of every species grew up listening to tales of you and your comrades, and their heroism."

"Why are you here?"

He seemed unfazed by the sudden change of subject. "Garret and I are going somewhere, and we would like you to come along. It may shed some light on your…return."

"Where?"

He ignored the question. "Are you coming?"

"I…guess so. It's not like I have anywhere better to be." She laughed bitterly.

"Good. Everything is ready, so when you're prepared, come outside."

He left.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aeris walked outside as the sun was setting on the horizon. Kurin and Garret were sitting just outside the doorway, backpacks beside them. Upon seeing her, they go to their feet and shouldered their packs. None of them said a word as they set off through the village. Aeris looked around, feeling some dim vestige of the curiosity that had once been so prevalent before she had died. The villagers moved rapidly around, readying for the end of the day. It was nothing at all like Midgar had been, everything was clean and neat and ordered. She smiled faintly.

As they walked up to the main gate, Garret spoke for the first time.

"Where are we going?"

Kurin looked at him and smiled.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises. Surprises kill people. Where are we going?"

Kurin sighed. "You my friend, are utterly devoid of humor. Since it is obvious you are not going to let this be until I tell you, then I shall. We are going to the area so charmingly called the Forest of Souls.

Garret stopped dead.

"That was one of those fatal surprises I was talking about. For a girl that just returned from the dead, you seem in an awful hurry to send her back."

Kurin sighed again. "We will be fine, my friend. The Forest of Souls is safe to those who know the way."

"And you do?"

Kurin smiled. "Only one way to find out."

Garret sighed, and the group began moving again. Aeris kept silent for a moment, then her curiosity was once more roused.

"What is the Forest of Souls?"

Kurin laughed.

"I was wondering when you would ask that. It seems I am unable to keep anyone in the dark here. The Forest of Souls is a large forest in the north of this country that is reputed to be haunted. Ghosts, monsters, you name it, they're there. Very few people have ever been in that forest and survived. Those who have are almost always completely insane."

They passed out of the moogle village, and Aeris could feel the change in the air. The forest was suddenly many times darker, more menacing.

"Why…do you think the place would have any significance to me?"

Kurin's smile faded. He stopped, and looked back one final time towards the dim lights of his home.

"It was the place in which you once lived, my dear. The Forest of Souls is the remains of ancient Midgar."


	8. Chapter Eight

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Eight

The corpses had once been children, but with the passing of time and the brutality of their murder, it was difficult to tell. They lay on the darkened forest past, looking like fallen wraiths in the morning mist. A wolf howled nearby, and the echo lent a final touch of ghastliness to the scene. Aeris ran forward, and ignoring the blood, cradled one of the broken children in her arms. Kurin and Garret looked at each other, then started forward.

"Aeris-" Kurin began, but she cut him off violently.

"What did this to them?" Her voice was full of barely restrained fury, and Kurin took and took a step backward. "What _bastard_ did this to them?"

Garret spoke, his voice nearly a whisper. "A demon, Aeris. They are everywhere nowadays. But, Aeris…we need to-"

"Where do they live?" Her voice was calm again, and both Kurin and Garret breathed a sigh of relief.

"In the mountains around here. But listen, we need to get out of here."

"Not yet. First, we will find the demon, and then I will tear out his heart."

Garret gasped. "Are you insane?! You wouldn't stand a chance against the demons! Entire armies have fallen to them!"

Aeris looked down for a moment, and for just the barest fraction of a second, her eyes burned green.

"This atrocity must be avenged. If I must do it alone, I will."

Garret stepped forward and placed a hand on Aeris' shoulder. The he pointed further down a split in the path, towards where the mist thickened. As if bidden, the mist parted, revealing a large wooden gate. It lay open, and behind it, houses flickered out of the gloom.

Aeris smiled in relief. "Good, the townspeople can help us! Surely these are their…children…"

Then she saw the blood. It was splattered everywhere, splashes of gore that stained the gates, the homes, the ground. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"No…"

The wolf howled again, and this time, it did not sound so much like a wolf anymore. And it sounded much closer.

Garret pulled Aeris to her feet, and they ran. Behind them, the howl sounded a final time, sounding somewhat like a laugh…and somewhat like a scream.

- - - - - - - - - - -

They had been gone scant moments when the hideous beast stepped through the gates of the blood-soaked town. It may have once been called a wolf, but those days were long past. It was misshapen and twisted, dripping with some dark and hideous fluid. It sniffed the air, and its fanged mouth pulled up into a grin. It stepped forward toward the trees.

"Stand back, fell beast."

It turned in surprise, unable to believe that it had been unable to detect this intruder. At the edge of the path stood a black-cloaked figure, one arm raised in warning.

"She is not your prey to hunt."

It stepped towards the figure, growling, and from within the black hood a laugh sounded.

"You challenge me? It has been awhile since I have met such a…foolish creature."

The cloak fell back, and for the first and last time in his life, the wolf-creature knew fear.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

A moment later, the black cloak was once more donned, and the figure stood above the mangled corpses of the children.

"The atrocity has been avenged. Would you be happy, knowing that, Aeris? Somehow… I don't think you would. The killing you will unleash...makes this pale in comparison..."

"Are you insane yet, Aeris?"

He paused, and took in a great shuddering gasp of breath into inhuman lungs.

"You...will be."

He slipped into the night.

- - - - - - - - - -

It seemed like hours before they finally stopped running. When they finally drew to a halt, Aeris shoved Garret away angrily, nearly knocking him from his feet.

"What the-"

"You left them! There could have been survivors...something... We should never have left!"

"If we had not, we would have died as well!"

Aeris' voice lowered to a whisper. "You think that matters to me?"

Her hands clenched in fury, and from within the closed fingers came a sudden flash of green fire. Garret and Kurin both stepped back, eyeing her uneasily. Aeris gasped and tried to clench her fists tighter, tried to hold in the massive, overflowing power, but it would not be contained. Green light began to pour form between the cracks in her fingers. One small beam struck a tree and it exploded instantly. Kurin and Garret looked at each other, then ducked.

Aeris could feel something vast and indefinable growing within her. She could not contain it, could not stop it, only fall before it in reverence. Everything was glowing green, bright and hideous, like the light of death. She was being consumed...she was becoming...

With a suddenness that surprised even her, she clenched her right hand into a fist and slammed it into her face. A trickle of blood ran between her knuckles and down her arm. The green fire flashed one more time, then dissipated.

She crumpled to her knees, then forward into the grass. Kurin and Garret ran forward cautiously, and knelt at her side. Garret turned her over, and nearly screamed as he saw her eyes flare into green brilliance. Then they flickered and died, leaving Aeris trembling and gasping for breath. Her eyes caught Garret's. When she spoke, her voice was so quiet that Garret had to lean forward to hear it.

"Why does it hurt so much...if I'm doing the right thing?" Then her eyes closed, and she slumped into his arms.

Preoccupied as they were, Kurin and Garret never noticed the black-cloaked figure until he was already upon them.


	9. Chapter Nine

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Nine

"What's the trouble here?"

Garret and Kurin both jumped and turned to face the intruder. He was young, probably still in his teens, but his face, shadowed by the black cloak , displayed a hard edge that spoke of the grit buried underneath. He looked at the scene before him questioningly. Then he saw Kurin.

"Damn! A moogle!"

He turned to run. He barely got two steps before Garret's sword was at his throat.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The hard edge seemed to disappear, and the youth whimpered in terror.

"I'm just a scout! Please don't kill me!"

"For the Empire? Dammit, what are they doing here?"

The scout shook his head violently, nearly slitting his own throat in the effort.

"I don't know! Nobody told me anything!"

His eyes flashed, for just a second. But it was enough.

Garret tightened the sword against his neck.

"You're lying." His voice was cold and emotionless. He began to draw the blade across his throat.

"Okay! Okay! All I know, is that it has to do with something about a village getting destroyed!"

Garret and Kurin looked at each other. Kurin swore under his breath.

The scout shifted slightly, trying to look at Garret's face.

"Hey, wait a minute! I know you! Aren't you that trai-"

Garret slit his throat, and his blood sprayed a hideous pattern upon the leaves. He gurgled something unintelligible and crumpled. Garret turned to Kurin, looking at him questioningly.

"Will they find the village?"

Kurin shook his head slowly, as if unsure.

"Not unless they have any reason to search the surrounding woods thoroughly enough to break through our wards."

They both turned back to Aeris.

Her eyes were open, staring straight ahead into nothingness. Then, slowly, she spoke.

"What was he going to say…before you killed him?"

Garret closed his eyes.

"Something no one needed to hear."

"Was he going to call you a traitor?"

Garret sighed.

"It was a case of mistaken identity."

Kurin opened his mouth to speak, but Garret raised one hand to silence him.

Aeris turned her head away.

"Why are you lying to me?"

Garret tried to respond, but found he could not muster the strength. Kurin spoke for him.

"Because it was in the past. It was part of another life."

Aeris laughed bitterly.

"I think I know a little about things like that. Please…tell me."

Kurin began to speak again, but Garret shook his head.

"Why are you denying her this, Garret? What are you seeking to hide?"

"I'm hiding nothing, old friend. I will tell her myself. But, it's getting late. First, we will set up camp, and then I will tell you…what I can."

Kurin gave the dead scout a sideways glance.

"Not here, though. If there was one scout, there will be another. We need to find a cave."

Aeris was already getting to her feet.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aeris found it morbidly humorous that nobody mentioned what had happened earlier. It was almost as if they were purposely avoiding the subject.

Perhaps that was best. Whatever was happening to her… She knew within her heart that it was not something that could be analyzed and discussed, not made subject to the laws of man and beast. She knew as well, that whatever it was, she had to get it under control. But why was this happening to her? Why?

"You all right?"

She jumped, startled, and looked over to see Kurin staring at her with a mixture of worry and curiosity...and fear.

She smiled.

"No. But I'm under control. Are we there?"

Kurin nodded, then pointed to the shadowed entrance to a cave, secreted behind a copse of trees.

"We should be all right there."

She nodded, and followed him into a cave.

And as she stepped into the dimness, the wind seemed to speak, to utter words that hissed and sputtered like smoke.

"Because you are a puppet."


	10. Chapter Ten

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Ten

Mist curled and twisted about the bodies of the dead, the ethereal whiteness mixing with the red that stained the ground. The bodies were of Moogles and human alike, crumpled in the stances of battle. Figures moved through the mist, black twisted things like dogs that giggled in their unintelligible tongues and licked the blood from the grass.

Something flashed in the mist, and one of the black thing lay dead, cut in two. Garret Audias turned and spat, then resheathed his sword. His head jerked up as a whistle sounded somewhere in the mist. He straightened to attention as another man strode briskly towards him. It was the captain.

"Do not waste your time on those scum. They just make cleaning the battlefield that much easier for us. Now come on, Audias. We need your help dealing with some prisoners."

Trying not to betray his excitement, Garret followed. This mist closed in behind them, leaving only the corpses and the black things that capered and giggled amongst them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The prisoners were lined up on the outskirts of camp, their wrists in shackles. All were moogles, and as Garret looked at them, he felt a momentary twinge of regret. _They are like children_. But he shoved that thought away. He had killed many moogles in his service to the Emperor, and he knew that they were deadly, competent fighters when they had to be. He looked down the line, his blue eyes cold and hard. The wind whipped across the battlefield, and it brought with it the sounds of the demons that covered the battlefield. Garret tried not to shudder, but he saw that the moogles all jumped and began to quiver in fear. He felt that twinge again, and pushed it down again, more violently. The captain's voice spoke from behind him, cold and mocking.

"Hear that? They've eaten your friends, and I imagine they'll be eating you soon. The price is slight for the crime of defying the Emperor."

"We defied nobody," a voice said from midway down the line. The captain's eyes bulged in surprise.

"Which one of you miserable scum said that? Stand forward, if you are not a coward!"

One of the moogles stood forward. Garret could see the fear coming off of him in waves, but the moogle still stood firm and looked the captain directly in the eyes. Garret respected that. The moogle caught his eye, and Garret could not hold his gaze. He looked away.

"We defied nobody. Your soldiers came here and began to slaughter us! We were only protecting ourselves."

The captain laughed and shook his head.

"Then you indeed defied us. The Emperor decreed you wiped form the face of the Earth, and you stood against his will. For this you will die."

He unsheathed his sword.

"Would you like any last words, scum?"

Incredibly, the moogle smiled. "I-"

"Too damn bad," the captain said, and his sword flickered through the air.

It stopped an inch from the moogle's face with a clash as it met Garret's sword.

Garret looked the captain in the eye, and saw the fear there. It pleased him. He pushed him back, and turned to the moogle.

"You were saying?"

"I...was just saying that I will relish the day when his corpse is the one feeding the demons."

Garret turned back to the captain, and saw with no surprise that two more soldiers were standing behind him. He smiled.

"This is not necessary, Captain. If these moogles want to state their case before the Emperor, it is their right. It is the right of all under his rule."

The captain grimaced.

"Even for a Tachikaze, you always did think too much of your own importance. That right is for humans only, not this filth."

Garret tensed.

"But you seem to enjoy being filth, so you shall die like it."

All three moved forward at once. Garret moaned in agony, and brought his hands to his head. This was not what he wanted. This was insane. But it was too late. He unsheathed his sword just as the two soldiers moved in from either side.

"Please, Captain."

"Don't talk to me like a human, you traitor," the captain said, and all three moved forward at once. Garret stifled a sob, and then he disappeared. Everyone gasped.

And then one of the soldier's gasps turned into a gurgling scream as a sword punched through his chest. The other soldier moved forward, growling in fury, and his head left his body before he even knew what was happening. The captain gasped in shock, and then he rushed forward, sword swinging. It hit only empty air. And then he felt his hair being grabbed and his head pulled back, and a voice whispered into his ear.

"I am sorry, Captain."

Then Garret slit his throat.

The entire battle had been over in a matter of seconds. Garret turned back to the shocked moogles, his body slick with blood. He grabbed the keys from the captain's belt and used them to unlock the moogle who had stepped forward.

"Help the others. I will provide the distraction while you get out of here."

And with that, he strode off, deeper into the camp. Moments later, the screams began.

The moogles were quickly freed, and they ran into the mist, all save one.

"Kurin! What are you doing!"

The moogle who had defied an Emperor looked back to see another moogle gesturing at him frantically. He shook his head.

"Go. I want to find the man who saved my life."

The other moogle just stared at him, and then turned and ran.

Kurin knelt next to a dead soldier and took his sword, and without looking back, walked into the mist.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Garret smiled through the blood that splattered his face. His sword rested lightly against his thigh.

"This is it?" he screamed. "This is all you've got? Twenty men cannot stand against one?"

Battle madness had taken hold, and he saw the world through a haze of red. Any reluctance towards killing his fellow men had long gone. In truth, he did not even remember what he was fighting for. But how grand it was to fight again!

Two arrows whistled through the air, and he brought his sword up to counter. One was knocked away, but the other buried itself into his left leg. He stumbled, and the men who had fired the arrows stepped forward, flanked by three other soldiers. He grinned through his dripping red hair at them.

"Nice to see some new folks. I was starting to think this shithole was deserted."

Quick as lightning, two more arrows were fired. One hit him in the side, the other in his left arm. He fell to his knees. One of the soldiers stepped forward, his sword raised above his head to cleave Garret in two. Before he could scream, his legs disappeared below the knees. As he fell, Garret's sword speared his heart. He threw the corpse at his comrades, and as one of the archers caught it, he cut the corpse, and the man holding it in half with one stroke. He jumped into the air, and came down upon the other archer with his sword extended. It punched through the back of his head and skewered the soldier behind him. But with that his energy was expended, and he crumpled to the ground. The last remaining soldier stared at the bloodied corpses of his comrades for a moment, and then, his eyes full of rage, he raised his sword to strike the killing blow.

The last thing he ever saw was a sword sticking out through his chest. He crumpled, and as Garret watched in disbelief, the moogle he had saved stepped over the corpse and offered his hand. He blacked out.

- - - - - - - - - -

The story was over and Aeris stared over the campfire at her two companions with disbelief. The dark walls of the cave flickered in the silence. At last, she stood up and walked out of the cave, her head lowered. Kurin and Garret sat and looked after her, and then at each other.

"Go after her," Kurin said.

"Why should I? It's raining! And anyway, you're the fuzzy one."

"Why the hell does that matter?"

"Because fuzzy animals are more comforting than soldiers at a time like this!"

Kurin glared at him, then lay down and closed his eyes. Garret sighed, and walked out of the cave.

He found Aeris sitting on the ledge above the mouth of the cave; her head turned up into the pounding rain. With some difficulty, he climbed the slick rocks and sat down next to her.

"Did I upset you?" he asked.

She turned to him and smiled sadly.

"No, it just reminded me of a story of my own. After I died, and after Sephiroth was defeated, Cloud swore that he would find me, and the Promised Land. He spent the rest of his life penniless, and though Tifa and his friends tried to stop him, he wandered the world looking for me. Tifa tried to follow him, and he told her that it was his quest, and his alone, and she could not come with him anymore. He deserted the girl that loved him for me; he deserted any hope of a happy life. I remember looking on through the Lifestream and hearing his last words. He had come to the place where I had died in some vain hope that he could find me there, but he was too old and too weak and too hungry too climb those stairs back. He had found the body of Tifa, who had followed her love all this time, butchered by monsters several days earlier. And as he lay dying on the altar, he said, 'I can't find it, Aeris. I can't find it.' And he joined the Lifestream and became one with the world again, but I never same any of them again, any of my old friends."

Garret's shock only increased when she embraced him, sobbing into his chest.

"What did he ever do to deserve that!? What did I ever do to deserve this!?" she screamed. Her arms clenched around him as the sobs wracked her body.

He could not answer. He could only sit there, holding her, as the rain came down and mingled with his tears.


	11. Chapter Eleven

All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun

Chapter Eleven

The voice that spoke:

_Earthborn..._

_Child of the Ancients..._

_I know your fear and your loneliness. But your task is beyond such remnants of mortality. _You _are beyond such foolishness. Dry your tears and accept the gift that you have been granted._

_You carry the fate of the world. Do not waver, Earthborn, or all shall surely be lost._

Aeris awoke in a cold sweat. She was lying sprawled across the cold cave floor. Beside her slept Garret, his hand on his sword. She got to her feet. She stepped over Garret and walked out of the cave into the chill forest night. The wind blew, making the forest come alive with movement. She watched the swaying of the trees for a long moment, and then, aware of the danger of being outside alone, turned to reenter the cave.

Her first impression was of a sudden darkness, and then she was pulled into the air. She dangled a few feet over the ground, her legs kicking frantically. She tried to scream, but something covered her mouth. Something breathed in her ear, its breath the stench of dead corpses left for too long in the sun.

"Help me…Help me, Aeris…"

He eyes widened in shock. She knew that voice. She could not remember where she had heard it before, but she had heard that voice. And with that shock, something flared up from within her, that feeling of mingled power and loss that had become like second nature to her. Green flame exploded around her, and the black thing was knocked away, hissing in pain. She stood her ground and watched, a smirk on her face, as it scrambled to its feet. The black cloak it wore shimmered and danced in the glow of the green light swirling around her. From within the darkness of the cave behind her came the sound of Garret cursing, and then he ran from the cave, sword drawn. The fire died instantly, and she crumpled to her knees. Garret ran to her, Kurin not far behind. He tried to lift her into his arms but she pushed him away and staggered to her feet. She turned to the dark embrace of the forest.

Nothing was there.

And then the dark became a sudden blinding white, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The city of Parn was a beautiful sight, the setting sun reflecting off the polished white buildings and nearly blinding all who gazed upon it. For nearly three centuries, the city had served as the backbone of human civilization in the south of the world. Recently, with the demon threat growing and the wars between the human and Moogles escalating, Parn had rapidly achieved the highest concentration of soldiers south of the Farina mountains. It was a very dangerous place to be for any enemy of the Emperor. But, unfortunately, it was also connected to the only pass through the mountains not infested with demons.

The party of three, cloaked and hooded, would have gathered far greater attention had the city not been so full of people as to make each individual indistinguishable from the other. Kurin could feel the sweat dampening his fur, making the already blisteringly hot day even hotter. He dared not alert Garret to his predicament, as his Moogle accent would have been instantly recognized, and the authorities alerted. He glanced at Garret, walking with the girl up ahead. He told her something and she laughed, a high, sweet, innocent sound.

When they had found her outside the cave two nights ago, she had been unwilling or unable to speak. When she regained consciousness, she had volunteered nothing as to what had happened, and Garret did not press her. After she had gone to sleep, he and Garret had talked until the morning about the black thing that had been chasing them. Both agreed that it had tried to attack her and she had fought it off, but neither could agree on what it was. Garret claimed it was an agent of the Emperor out to kill them while Kurin maintained it was a demon that had become attracted to Aeris' powers somehow and was pursuing them. In the end, they had given up trying to puzzle it out and gone to bed.

Kurin was still no closer now to understanding what it was than he was then. Still thinking, he never even noticed the little girl until he had bumped into her.

"Sorry," he said quickly, and froze. He looked back at the little girl, praying she hadn't noticed his accent. She held up her teddy bear brightly, as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"Wanna play?" she asked.

Kurin shook his cowled head quickly and ran to catch up to the others, leaving the little girl staring after him. His fur dripped with sweat. Garret, noticing his nervousness, stopped talking with Aeris for a moment.

"C'mon, Kurin. Let's find an inn and get out of the sun."

Kurin nodded desperately.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The innkeeper seemed decidedly unhappy to be presented with customers. When she had started this inn, five years ago, she had expected to cater to a high class of clientele, but as time had passed, her inn had rapidly become a den of theives and those who wanted to stay out of the sight of the Empire. And here, again, was another three scumbags who would probably trash up her room. She looked over the three cloaked figures with something like disgust.

"Walking around like that, it's a wonder you folks don't die of heatstroke. Do you want one room or two?"

"One," Garret said. "And would you be able to direct us to a good place to eat nearby?"

The innkeeper handed them the keys and then shrugged.

"Just walk in any direction and you'll find something. There's restaurants all over this place."

Garret thanked her and the three walked down the hall to their room.

Once they were safely inside with the door locked, they removed the heavy cowls. Kurin collapsed on the bed, the only piece of furniture in the decidedly bare room.

Aeris went to the window and looked out through the tattered curtains. The window looked out upon one of the city's many public squares. Crowd of people stood around, chatting and resting in the afternoon sun. In the center of the square stood a stone statue, the chiseled rock formed in the features of a gallant knight on horseback.

"Who is the statue of?" she asked.

Garret walked forward to look, but before he could speak, Kurin laughed.

"I bet I can guess without looking. It's that bastard murdering Emperor you humans adore so much."

Aeris turned around, shocked at his anger.

"Kurin, I…"

"I know, I know, but, dammit, that monster pisses me off."

Aeris started to speak again, but Garret but his hand gently on her shoulder.

"We should get something to eat, Aeris. Kurin, we'll bring something back for you."

Kurin mumbled something from his prone position, and raised a hand to wave them off.

After they had left, he got up and went to the window. Through the curtain he could see the statue, a soldier holding aloft the sword of justice. His hand clenched in fury.

A moment later, blood trickled down through his fingers and began to drip on the floor. He never even noticed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The restaurant bustled with people, and not wanting to attract attention, the two got a booth in the back. The ordered, and as they waited for their food, Garret noticed that Aeris was looking apprehensive. She looked at him, opened her mouth, and then closed it again and turned her head away.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"It's just that…there's so much about your world I don't understand. Kurin was so angry…I just feel lost here."

Garret took her hand in his and held it. A blush spread across her face.

"There no reason to be afraid. We'll be here for you…to help you out."

"Thank you."

"And about Kurin-don't worry. His problems are…complicated."

She paused for a moment.

"Could you tell me about the Emperor? I don't understand how he can rule if so many people hate him."

"Because they don't. The Emperor is a hero to the people. Twenty years ago, we were ruled by a man named Ganuji. He was…a real son of a bitch. He imprisoned anyone who he thought was a threat, he murdered anybody who got in his way. The people hated him, but even more than that, they feared him. There was a boy who was a member of the Royal Guard who protected Ganuji. When he visited his home village, Ganuji decided that the boy had too many ties to home to be an effective soldier, so he…he burned down the entire village and killed everyone in it. He told the boy that it had been demons, but he had underestimated him. The boy found out, and while he was on guard duty, he took his sword and stabbed Ganuji through the heart. He became a hero overnight, and the people elected him instantly to be the new Emperor. Since then, he has done great things for the people. Not only has his army protected us from the demons, but he has brought a new golden age for us. He has brought the people true peace and happiness."

"But the Moogles…"

"About ten years ago, when I was just a recruit, he decide to take the war to the demons. Before that, he had been spending his time only fighting to protect the different towns from them, but it had been years and their numbers never diminished. He spent a year researching the nature of the demonic infestation, and he came to believe that the demons were Moogles that had become changed by black magic. Thus his holy war began. To protect the people, he began a campaign of extermination against the Moogle race. They went from a population rivaling our own to mere hundreds."

Aeris began to say something, but Garret signaled her to be quiet. Their food had arrived.

She found that she had lost her appetite.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They walked back through the darkened streets, feeling the chill bite of the wind even through their heavy cloaks. Parn, it seemed, was a city of extremes.

Aeris had never felt so lost. This world, this place, was so different from the one she had left behind. It seemed consumed by bitterness and loss. She felt herself yearning for the all-encompassing bliss of the Lifestream, that warm cocoon where all troubles were swept away.

Her thoughts ceased abruptly as she ran into Garret. She bounced off, hand clutched to her head in pain. Garret hardly seemed to notice. His gaze was focused ahead, into the darkness. Slowly, she followed the direction of his eyes, and she gasped.

The street was crowded by figures in full armor. In the center stood Kurin, his wrists tied and a sword held to his back by a cloaked figure behind him. Beside him lay their packs.

"I'm sorry, Garret!" Kurin yelled, his voice a knife that cut across the chill of the night.

Garret drew his sword from within his cloak.

"I don't think you people know who I am." In his voice was an unmistakable tone of command, a bitter coldness that chilled Aeris. For a moment she was terrified to be near him.

The cloaked figure stepped forward, and with a sudden motion, the cloak was at her feet. Garret's eyes widened in shock. The girl in front of them was beautiful. Long red hair flowed down her back, and her blue eyes were open and kind. Her figure was that of a goddess. She could not have been more than eighteen.

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with," she said softly, a innocent smile playing across her face. "Garret Audias, former member of the Tachikaze. A low-ranking member, but reputed to be quite skillful with a blade."

Garret brought his sword out in front of him.

"How about we find out just how skillful," he said, his face deadly serious.

The soldiers behind them all raised their weapons, but the girl stopped them with a wave of her hand.

"Try me," she said. She was still smiling.

Garret lunged forward, his sword arcing for her throat. With a clang of metal, his blade ricocheted. In her hand, the girl held a short sword. She shoved him back with one hand, and then brought her fist up in a crushing uppercut, snapping his head back. In the same motion, she brought her leg around in a smashing kick, knocking him skidding into a brick wall. Garret coughed violently, and blood trickled from his mouth onto the cold stone street.

"You're...not human." He gasped weakly as he crumpled to his knees.

She nodded, smiling, and then turned back to the soldiers, who stood with eyes wide. "Tie them up. The district commander has requested them to be brought to him."

The men nodded, and two rushed forward towards Aeris, their swords drawn. She stumbled backwards, into the shadows. She turned to run, and as she did, something spoke from the shadows around her.

"Don't bother."

Her eyes widened in shock. That voice, that voice that she had heard once before in the darkness. The name that belonged to that voice danced at the edge of her memory, still eluding her. But then she heard the sound of men behind her, and something sharp poked into her back. A trickle of blood ran from the point of the sword and down her back.

"Don't move, or we'll be forced to hurt you."

She started to raise her hands and then something warm and wet splattered across her back and hands. She held her stained hand up to her eyes, and the blood glowed silver in the moonlight. She turned around, entire body trembling.

The blood was everywhere. The two soldiers were broken dolls, their limbs strewn across the cobbles. Beyond them, something black and flowing moved in the night, leaping from soldier to soldier and spraying the night with crimson. None of them had any time to scream. At last the red-haired girl stood alone in a sea of red. The black-cloaked figure faced her, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

Something grabbed Aeris' arm, and she nearly screamed. Garret whispered urgently in her ear.

"Move quickly, and move quietly, while she's distracted."

She turned to face him, and saw that he was holding a still-bound Kurin under one arm, and their packs in the other. She nodded, and they ran into the night.

The girl never noticed. Her gaze was locked on the black figure in front of her. A small smile crossed her lips.

"You are going to die here," she said, her voice firm and deadly.

The black thing laughed, his arms clutched to his sides in dark mirth.

"I would love to feast upon your heart, girl, but my goal is accomplished, and I have a party to catch. Goodbye."

And with that he was gone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The party of three ran through the night, their footsteps echoing dimly off the stone.

"Where are we going?" Kurin asked, his voice harsh from exertion.

"The only place we can go. Through the cave to the other side."

"But, there will be a watch on the cave entrance, even at this hour. And they'll probably have been told to stop anybody who wants to get through."

"I said we go through the cave. The main tunnel is not the only way through."

Kurin's eyes widened.

"It's the only _sane_ way! We could never make it through one of the side caves! We wouldn't last five minutes!"

Garret smiled cynically.

"I would think you'd be used to the idea of dying by now."

Kurin grimaced, and kept running. But after a moment, he spoke again.

"What was that, back there?"

"I have no idea, and frankly, I'm glad. Maybe the freak and that crazy bitch killed each other off."

"But that black thing didn't attack us at all."

Garret shook his head. "Maybe it was too busy fighting the soldiers."

Behind the two, Aeris ran silently.

That voice.

She knew that voice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The red-haired girl sat silently in the chair. The moonlight spilled through the window onto the wooden desk in front of her, and the man who sat behind it. The man was pasty and balding, and since he fighting days had passed, he had formed somewhat of a gut. He leaned over the table, his hands clasped together.

"You seem to have lost me a squadron of troops, Commander."

The smile was no longer on the girl's face. Instead, there was an emotion rarely seen upon her features: fear. She began to tremble slightly in the chair as the man behind the desk stood up.

"I am disappointed in you."

She nodded quickly, and then tried to stand up. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"But I can deal with disappointment, Commander. As long as I am adequately...reimbursed."

His hand moved from her shoulder to caress her face gently. She flinched at the touch, but did not move.

"Do you want to strike me? That would be...unwise. You are, after all, here for any purpose we deem you fit. You are ours. Our puppet, if you will."

His hand tightened suddenly on her face, and he pulled it forward, meeting her lips with his. Her eyes widened. Her fist clenched for a moment, but then relaxed. A tear ran down her cheek. He broke the kiss.

"I think...that I can find a purpose for you."

In the hall outside, a soldier passed. He paused for a moment, hearing the muffled screams and sobs, and then moved on quickly.

It was probably none of his business.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The cave mouth stood before them, almost invisible in the darkness of the night. Kurin turned to Garret.

"Are you sure this is the one?"

Garret nodded. "Positive. When I was a soldier, we had to find a group of rebels hiding out in these caves."

Garret stooped down and searched through his pack. A moment later he stood up, holding a torch. He lit it, and without a glance backward stepped into the cave. Kurin and Garret shouldered their own packs and followed.

As they walked, Garret debated with himself over whether or not to tell the others about what he had found in the cave all those years ago. As it ended up, they hadn't killed a single rebel.

They had already been dead. All of them.

The party passed deeper into the cave. Behind them, in the darkness, something moved. With a rustling sound, it followed the three deeper into the cave.

It had been a long time since anybody had ventured into the cave, and it was very hungry.


End file.
